Bloomberg cracks S'pore hold

<p>SINGAPORE: Unable to convince its distributor to grant it a 24-hour </p><p>channel, financial news service Bloomberg TV will take its newscast </p><p>outdoors, using giant digital screens on the side of Singapore office </p><p>buildings. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The channel also expects to begin broadcasting its service on 42-inch </p><p>plasma screens, mostly at bank buildings and other financial </p><p>institutions. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move outdoors was prompted after Bloomberg failed to convince its </p><p>local cable distributor, Singapore Cable Vision (SCV), to grant it a </p><p>24-hour channel, which rival operators such as CNBC, CNN and BBC </p><p>have. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Bloomberg Asia-Pacific marketing director James Ross said the outdoor </p><p>newscast would work because - unlike its competitors -Bloomberg ran text </p><p>messages at the bottom of the screen for news headlines and market </p><p>results. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This allowed it to drop the audio part of newscasts. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ross said Bloomberg already had giant digital screens in Tokyo and Hong </p><p>Kong. He expected the initiative would allow Bloomberg to increase its </p><p>exposure and attract more customers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, outdoor companies in Singapore were sceptical that Bloomberg </p><p>would generate a strong response. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Peter Kemeny, managing director of Capital City Posters, said outdoor </p><p>digital screens succeeded in only a few key locations around the world, </p><p>such as Times Square in New York. He said the medium failed to capture </p><p>the attention of passers-by in other locations. While the audio element </p><p>was irritating, he said the medium would have no impact without it. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ashley Stewart, managing director of JC Decaux, said it cost millions </p><p>for a digital screen, which then had to be replaced about every two </p><p>years. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>